The Matchups

Two names stick out from all the rest. No surprise that they finished second and fourth last year, and are the top two returners. Ben Petrella (Liverpool) has been ramping up all season, increasingly speeding up. At McQuaid, he was able to outrun Class C favorite Kenny Vasbinder. Despite getting lost in the shuffle at Manhattan, Petrella was able to come back at Sectionals primed for a big performance, taking down the VVS course record held by 2014 XC State Champ Bryce Millar. In the opposite corner, we have Aidan Tooker (Saratoga). Tooker placed 12th as a freshman, 6th as a sophomore, and 4th as a junior. Conventional wisdom shows he is ready to be top dog. He started the season out strong, capturing the course record at Queensbury, a former State Meet course. Likewise, he went #3 All-Time at SPAC in a dual meet, after a long break from Invitational competition. Although he wasn't able to achieve that time in Championship season, he was the clear favorite at Suburbans and Sectionals.

The two will meet for the first time this season at Monroe-Woodbury. Neither athletes chose to attend the Crusader Classic, so each will be running the course blind. This race is totally up in the air, although Petrella gets the slight edge after a course record at Sectionals.

And yet, there is Noah Carey (Guilderland). He finished ahead of Petrella at Manhattan. He was only seconds off Tooker at both Suburbans and Sectionals. And on top of that, he won a division of the Crusader Classic, proving he knows the course better than any of the top competitors. Behind Carey in Section 2 is also Jake Johnson (Colonie), a Crusader Division Champion. Could he make the big leap at the right moment. And what of Donny Glavin (McQuaid)? He's been having a stellar season, and was the closest athlete to Petrella at the VVS Invite early in the season. Could we see a breakout performance?

The Top-Ranked Class A Runners Entering States
1   Aidan Tooker          12   02-A    Saratoga               193
2   Ben Petrella          12   03-A    Liverpool              193
3   Noah Carey            11   02-A    Guilderland            189
4   Donny Glavin          12   05-A    McQuaid                188
5   Jake Johnson          12   02-A    Colonie                186
6   Jonathan Lauer        11   11-A    Sachem North           185
7   Peter Ryan            12   03-A    FM                     184
8   Patrick Perry         11   03-A    FM                     183
9   Christopher Tibbetts  11   11-A    Sachem North           182
10  Ty Brownlow           11   03-A    Liverpool              182
11  Jake Avery            11   04-A    Ithaca                 182
12  Elias Platanias       12   08-A    Calhoun                181
13  Matt Adolph           12   09-A    Warwick                181
14  David Leff            11   03-A    West Genesee           180
15  Chris Biondi          12   09-A    Pine Bush              180
16  Behailu Bekele-Arcuri 8    09-A    Minisink Valley        180
17  Paul Nichols          12   02-A    Shaker                 180 
19  Stevie Schulz         11   03-A    Liverpool              179
20  Thorr Trowbridge      12   09-A    Kingston               179
21  Connor Doran          11   06-A    Lockport               179
22  Brian Bates           12   04-A    Corning                179

State of the Action: It's been 8 years since a Liverpool team has seen the State Meet, despite being one of the favorites to win many for many of those years. With the hardest battle out of the way (Sectionals), only two teams look to have a strong chance to block a Liverpool State Title, which would stand as only the second in the programs history. Saratoga is a team on the rise, with an obvious low-stick out front. They'll need to see strong improvement in 2-5 to challenge, but are known as the ultimate Championship Program, taking home a state title by 1-point in 2012. It could get that close once again. As for Corning, their strength comes from a solid 1-4 pack, but need their 5th man to take a step up to challenge for that top podium spot. As for Liverpool, who has the best 1-2-3 in the race, they need to have consistency in their 4-5 to seal the deal. Their typical 4th had an off day at Sectionals, while their usual 5th traded places to make up the difference. The same interchangeability will be needed on what will be the toughest course they will see all year to secure the win.